Category Archives: Engineering
The Path of a Future Engineer at UST – inForney.com
HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- When Christopher Alducin began to consider pursuing a future as an engineer, he did not suspect he would be attending a private liberal arts university. Neither did he anticipate that halfway through his studies, University of St. Thomas at Houston would secure a summer internship at one of the most prestigious cancer hospitals in the world, MD Anderson Cancer Center in the heart of the Texas Medical Center.
New generations enter the engineering field thanks to significant advantages in scholarships and financial aid.
"I just finished a project about my research during my internship" Alducin said. "It's focused on cancer research using mice. We're doing magnetic resonance image (MRI) scans to observe their metabolism and evaluate different conversion rates, which are biomarkers of cancer. These are easily spotted through the metabolism tabulating system."
Alducin's family emigrated from Mexico when he was six. Now the 20-year-old future engineer is getting experience and establishing relationships with professionals in his field relationships that can have a profoundly positive effect on his future.
The young engineer said, "At MD Anderson, I've been able to meet some really awesome people who have given me career advice. They have even redirected me to different professionals to help me decided what I want to do."
In his third year at the Mechanical Engineering Program at University of St. Thomas Houston, Alducin wants to help people using principles of robotics in the construction of prosthetic limbs and other medical devices.
After all, the need for engineers is not just in the medical field, but in every industry. Herman Flores, the Engineering Student Support Services Coordinator at UST, finds opportunities that will open employment doors for students.
"We are working to provide internships for our UST engineering students," Flores said. "Internships are a good pathway to provide valuable experience. Many companies use this as a route to recruiting new employees."
Currently, UST offers a Bachelor of Science in:
Each one of these programs, which adheres to the Engineering Accreditation Commission (ABET) quality standards offer enormous advantages for minority students in need of financial aid.
"UST provides a very good financial aid package combined with scholarships that make an engineering education at St. Thomas very attainable for most applicants," adds Flores.
For Brigit Mellis, Chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering, the merger of faith and science offers UST Engineering graduates a unique perspective.
Mellis said, "Our department aims to support UST's mission as a place where the faithful can pursue physics and engineering, both as a lucrative career path and as a path for the contemplation and worship of God's creation."
About University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1947 by the Basilian Fathers as an independent, Catholic, coeducational university in Houston, TX. Situated in the city's Museum District, the University enrolls 3,237 total students with an undergraduate population of 1,864. Set against the backdrop of the Texas Medical Center, UST has seen a 75% growth rate among students pursuing degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and over half of the undergraduate student body pursues a degree in one of the STEM fields. The University of St. Thomas was ranked 26th in the 2018 edition of the U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" list of universities in the western region of the United States and was ranked one of the best colleges in the West according to The Princeton Review. For more information, please visitwww.stthom.edu.
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SOURCE University of St. Thomas-Houston
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Houston Jury Finds International Pipe Manufacturer Tenaris and its Engineers Liable for Flooding Homes During Hurricane Harvey – PRNewswire
HOUSTON, Aug. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --A Harris County jury has found that regulatory violations and negligence in the construction of a 1.2 million square foot facility used to manufacture oilfield pipe directly led to the flooding of homes in the community of Van Vleck, Texas during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.
Tenaris Bay City Inc, which owns and operates the facility,is now liable for the property damage and displacement of the families.Fluor Engineering, the multinational engineering firm that designed the project was also found liable.
The litigation filed in December 2018 alleged that Tenaris violated the Texas Water Code when building the facility inVan Vleck, located southwest of Houston in Matagorda County.
According to the lawsuit, Tenaris "divert[ed] and impound[ed] the natural flow of water, without legal excuse, authorization, or permit, in a manner that caused water to overflow and damage Plaintiffs' properties."
Jurors heard evidence that, prior to construction of the Tenaris facility, the plaintiffs' homes never flooded during the course of more than 100 tropical storms and hurricanes which passed through the region in the last century. Lawyers for Tenaris and Fluor argued that Hurricane Harvey amounted to an "act of god" and that their clients should not be found liable, despite the fact that the Tenaris facility did not flood during the storm.
"Hurricane Harvey was a natural disaster, but the disaster for these homeowners was entirely man-made," says Derek Potts, founder and national managing partner of the Potts Law Firm in Houston. "This jury took the opportunity to make things right for these families, and has delivered a message that big business can't ignore the environment, state law, and neighboring communities when building these massive projects."
"We can't give these people back their homes the way they were before. Many still are not living in them to this day. But we can provide justice, and we appreciate the service of this jury," said Potts.
On Monday, the jury returns to hear evidence concerning the damages sustained by the plaintiffs and will be asked to make a finding as to the amount of compensation to be paid by Tenaris and Fluor.
About the Potts Law Firm:The Potts Law Firm is a national trial law firm based in Houston, Texas which handles complex litigation cases nationwide involving personal and economic injuries sustained by individuals and businesses.
Media Contact:Barry Pound 800-559-4534 [emailprotected]
SOURCE Potts Law Firm
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Engineering Girls 2 promises to present fresh take on friendship and love, to premiere on this date – The Indian Express
The teaser of the second season of The Viral Fever and ZEE5 show Engineering Girls is out. The show, starring Barkha Singh, Sejal Kumar and Kritika Avasthi in the lead roles, promises to present a fresh take on love and friendship. It will start streaming on August 27.
The five-episode series is set in an engineering college. Directed by Apoorv Singh Karki, it revolves around its three female leads Maggu, Sabu and Kiara and how they are beginning to get serious about life after college as it is their final year. While juggling with their studies, they also experience some misadventures in their personal lives. But they do find their ways of realising their dreams and coming out of every situation stronger.
The caption of the teaser says, Girls hostel mein patakhe doobara footenge! Kiara, Magu & Sabu are back with a bang to live out their last days of college full masti mein.
Talking about Engineering Girls 2, TVF Founder Arunabh Kumar said, This show is very special to us as there are a lot of Female Founders and Engineers who are doing some amazing work in STEM fields, but we have rarely seen their perspective and world in mainstream content and Engineering Girls aimed to change that with the 1st season itself. Now with a partner like ZEE5, we hope to take this story forward as we collectively want to bust the stereotype that Engineering means just boys.
Besides Engineering Girls 2, other TVF shows such as Pitchers Season 2, Tripling Season 3, Humorously Yours Season 3, and The Aam Aadmi Family Season 4 will soon start streaming on ZEE5.
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Assistant county engineer to retire after 33 years of humble service to Flagler County residents – Palm Coast Observer
History is both enduring and retiring. Richard Gordon isnt a household name in Flagler County he never wanted it to be.
But the assistant county engineer of 33 years, who started with Flagler County on Aug. 8, 1988, will work his last day on Sept.3. Hes left his mark on a community he helped raise from one of family homesteads and a single traffic signal to what it is today one of the most popular and fastest growing in the nation.
When Richard Gordon and his wife, Shelley, moved to Flagler County over 40 years ago, the area was mostly swampy, wooded, wild Florida scrub with dirt roads, and farmland, said Project Manager Amy Stroger, who has worked with Gordon for 21 years. Palm Coast was little more than an idea that existed on paper. He first worked in the county for ITT (for 12 years), and Richard continued to do the work in Flagler County to guide development, as well as ensure that the public infrastructure needs kept pace with the rapidly increasing demand.
The full list of design and construction projects that Gordon has worked on would be tough to enumerate.
One would be hard pressed to find anything in Flagler County that was developed, planned, or constructed that Richard Gordon hasnt had a hand in, said County Engineer Faith Alkhatib, who has worked with Gordon more than 18 years. Richards colleagues and coworkers rely on his knowledge and his recollection of the intricacies, events, agreements, and technical details that are the backbone upon which this community is built.
A short list of the local projects Gordon has worked on includes:
Gordon has always been reticent to talk about himself, but his wife of 50 years is not. In a 2015 interview, she describe him as truthful to a fault.
Any hint of impropriety is unacceptable to him, Shelley Gordon said.
She shared that her husband, pre-Flagler, also worked for Greiner Engineering in Tampa in quality control, and oversaw the building of the Space Shuttle runway.
What Richard Gordon will say of his own career is expressed in a 17-syllabel haiku:
Theres nothing to say
I would always do my best
For our residents.
Richard Gordons institutional knowledge and expertise will be greatly missed, Alkhatib said. His technical knowledge, experience, wisdom, and advice are respected by colleagues both within Flagler County Government, as well as outside of the organization.
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SWE CMRIT Hosted Webinar On ‘Career Selection For Engineering Graduates’ – All Together – Society of Women Engineers
A webinar on Career selection for Engineering Graduates was held on the 27th of July, 2021. It was hosted by Society of Women Engineers (SWE), CMRIT.
The speaker of the webinar was Sahana L, an alumnus of CMRIT (2010-2014), and currently a Junior Technical Expert in GIZ, Germany under the Energy team. She is an energy professional with work experience in electric mobility and clean energy sectors. Previously, she has worked with EY LLP, Bangalore, India as an Associate Consultant in the Electric Mobility Team for close to two years. She is an electrical engineer who pursued her M.Tech from TERI School of Advanced Studies in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management. Additionally, she also holds a post-graduate diploma in Transmission and Distribution Systems from National Power Training Institute (NPTI), Bangalore, India. She has also published a book titled Mithra, which is based on the journey of a virago who not only leads an army of men but also decides to sacrifice herself to save her people. She is a blogger and posts short stories and articles on her blog on various topics.
In this webinar, the speaker covered various topics pertinent to career choices after graduating B.E/B. Tech. She described in detail the different paths that the students could take after graduation including higher studies, civil services, entrepreneurship, management, joining the armed forces, pursuing their passions and even the possibility of taking a break.
In addition, Sahana also spoke about her journey since graduating 12th grade till date. She talked about the difficulties and obstacles that she had faced, her decision making process and various experiences that she came across during her journey. She also emphasized on the need for gender diversity in corporate sector. She shared some tips on how to prepare for interviews, get jobs and move forward in our career. Furthermore, she imparted valuable advice to the students on pursuing their goals, never compromising on their ethics and ideals for work, making yourself indispensable to your company, learning to say no, and more.
Some key takeaways from this session include:
This event attracted over 60 participants. The hosting of the event was made possible by the efforts of the organizing team comprising of students and faculty members. The seminar ended with a question-and-answer session, wherein the speaker answered them.
Organizing Team:
Student CoordinatorsAnushka JemimaSanjana MVanshika Ghai
Faculty CoordinatorsDr. Bijayani PandaDr. Chaitanya Lekshmi IndiraDr. Asha M Nair
Blog Prepared By:Indulekha TharunNamratha BSneha M
SWE Blog
SWE Blog provides up-to-date information and news about the Society and how our members are making a difference every day. Youll find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM-related topics.
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Bardoc and GR Engineering get to work on optimising gold processing plant plan – International Mining
Posted by Daniel Gleeson on 10th August 2021
Bardoc Gold has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with GR Engineering Services that confirms its status as preferred tenderer for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the processing facility and associated infrastructure at the Bardoc gold project near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
The appointment of GRES as preferred tenderer represents another significant step for Bardoc as work continues to accelerate on key project optimisation strategies aimed at streamlining the mining and production schedule, growing the production rate and improving project economics and returns, Bardoc said.
It follows Bardoc recently initiating a Cash-flow Optimisation Study, which is aimed at increasing the forecast production rate, margins and cashflow of the project. The definitive feasibility study, published earlier in the year, outlined a 2.1 Mt/y project with average annual gold sales of 135,760 oz over 8.2 years of mill production.
The LoI contemplates Bardoc working closely with GRES to complete the optimisation work currently underway as the company moves towards project financing and a Final Investment Decision before the end of the year.
Further updates on the optimisation work will be provided in the coming weeks, with results expected to be provided to the market by the end of August, Bardoc said.
GR Engineering has recently completed the construction of several comparable processing plants in Western Australia, according to Bardoc.
Progressing from the current LoI to a formal EPC contract will be subject to various conditions, including board approvals, project financing, statutory approvals and final contractual pricing and terms.
Bardoc Gold CEO, Robert Ryan, said: Bardoc is moving rapidly towards the development of a new high-quality, high-margin gold project near Kalgoorlie. The competitive EPC tender process has drawn a number of quality submissions, reflecting the rapid progression of the Bardoc Gold Project and the high-quality work completed as part of the definitive feasibility study.
The appointment of GR Engineering marks another key step in the development of the project and establishes an important relationship with a leading design and construction group. We look forward to working with the GRES team over the coming weeks and months.
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Modis, The Adecco Group’s IT and engineering division, names head of North American operations – Staffing Industry Analysts
August 10, 2021
Modis, the IT and engineering staffing division of The Adecco Group, today announced George Fenn as head of Modis North America.
Fenn has more than 22 years of experience across a range of sectors. He formerly served as executive VP, global business unit COO at Capgemini.
George has an impressive track record in driving strategic growth and innovation, said Jan Gupta, Modis president. His people-centric mindset and ability to drive digital and cultural transformation makes him well-suited to lead this organization in North America.
Fenn, who assumed the role on July 5, reports to Gupta.
I look forward to working with our expert team at Modis to accelerate our transformation story and deliver a unique value proposition to our customers, Fenn said.
Modis ranks as the second-largest provider of engineering staffing in the US and the ninth-largest supplier of IT staffing.
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SpaceX, Engineers Clash over Whether 12 GigaHertz Band Can Be Shared with 5G Operators – BroadbandBreakfast.com
August 10, 2021 Research commissioned by RS Access showing the mid-band 12 GHz spectrum, a band used by satellite service providers, can be shared with 5G operations has elicited a scathing rebuke by SpaceX and the engineering firm behind the study is responding in kind.
The FCC is currently studying the possible sharing of the band between satellite providers and mobile wireless carriers for 5G. Broadband Breakfast held a panel discussion in July, which included arguments for and against the spectrums flexible use. RS Access V. Noah Campbell mentioned the technical study in question during the session, by RKF Engineering Solutions, LLC.
In a filing to the Federal Communications Commission last week, however, SpaceX alleges RKFs technical study is a fatally flawed analysis that washes over the interference consequences that will allegedly happen if the spectrum is shared with 5G operations.
To address interference concerns, the engineering study drew three main conclusions: low-earth orbit satellite user terminals, which SpaceXs Starlink fleet uses, can reject 5G signals; technology used by mobile wireless networks will direct energy toward handsets, not satellite terminals; and 5G networks will be used largely in higher population areas, whereas Starlink will focus on low-density, largely rural, areas. It also said that without coordination, interference possibilities will affect less than one percent of next-generation satellite operator terminals.
But SpaceX said these conclusions assume that the 5G build-out will only occur in urban areas and limit the next-generation satellite service providers from operating in those areas. The company said while Starlink is designed to optimize for rural areas initially, it will provide service in urban areas. It also claims that there will be interference suffered by the satellite terminals on the ground to cause disruptions in service, and ultimately, thousands of customers could be impacted.
SpaceX notes that the $900 million it won in December from the FCCs $9.2-billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund which is currently being reassessed due to complaints of possible overbuilding backs the fact that urban coverage is part of its agenda.
The company said it has over half a million back orders in its first six months of beta testing its Starlink service with only a third of its LEO fleet deployed (it has over 1,400 satellites launched). It also said it has applied to increase the number of licensed user terminals to 5 million.
But RKF said in a filing to the FCC on August 9 that SpaceX misread the study to find harmful interference where none may exist. It said the study finds that a 5G network with zero coordination among users of the spectrum would impact fewer than one percent of next-generation satellite terminals. With coordination, such possible interference incidences would be reduced even further, it adds.
RKF, founded in 2001 and known by the last name initials of its founders Phil Rubin, Ted Kaplan, and Jeff Freedman, said this is the only engineering study of its kind in the FCC docket and no company has refuted it.
Other complaints in the Tuesday filing include RKFs claim that its study did not say that the 5G build-out will only occur in urban areas, noting that the study surveyed less populated areas and found that demand is greatest in more densely populated areas. It also said its study does not preclude SpaceX from operating in any part of the country. It added that SpaceX operations in urban areas with 5G networks is still readily achievable.
SpaceXs inexplicable response to our rigorous, data-driven engineering study on coexistence in the 12 GHz band is so egregiously inaccurate that we as a firm felt it needed a direct response, David Marshack, chief operating officer of RKF, said in a statement to Broadband Breakfast.
Though our firm has often been called on to perform analyses in Commission proceedings, rarely has our firm engaged directly in the FCC docket on its own behalf. But in multiple Commission filings, SpaceX has impugned RKFs integrity with baseless allegations and brazen misrepresentations that have made engaging on the record necessary.
The engineering analysis clearly shows that coexistence between satellite and terrestrial 5G in the 12 GHz band is highly feasible, the statement added. Any claim to the contrary is a misunderstanding of our findings which show that a 5G network with zero coordination would impact fewer than one percent of NGSO terminals.
Dish Network the beneficiary of mobile wireless assets from the T-Mobile-Sprint merger and which is using said assets to develop its 5G network said in a January filing that it hopes the commission would find a way to open the band for 5G use.
Since the other satellite-using C-band spectrum has already concluded its auction, the supply of critical mid-band spectrum for 5G is diminishing. Last month, RS Access filed a study by Roberson and Associates with the FCC claiming that the 12 GHz spectrum is highly favorable for 5G, resembles lower-mid band frequencies, and can rapidly accelerate 5G deployment nationwide.
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Engineer: Housatonic Water Works has ‘negative value’ of $25.2 million – theberkshireedge.com
Nathan Turner, the chef at the Brick House Pub, holds up a 1-gallon jar of discolored water from Housatonic Water Works at an Oct. 15, 2018, Great Barrington Selectboard meeting. "I should not be charged to run this garbage through my sink," he said. Image: Community Television for the Southern Berkshires
GREAT BARRINGTON If the town acquires Housatonic Water Works (HWW), or if the company is merged with Great Barringtons own water utility, the new owner will be confronted with tens of millions of dollars in deferred capital expenses, an engineering firm told the selectboard.
Dave Prickett and Justin Skelly, engineers from DPC Engineering, gave the board the grim news last night during a presentation designed to address the value of the troubled system serving the Housatonic section of town, the costs of fixing it, the potential exposure for the buyer, and possible next steps.
Prickett said if town officials came to him and asked him what the system was worth, he would tell them, Id say get a dollar because I wouldnt pay any more than that, knowing whats coming down the pike.
I believe the liability is far too high to take on something at a price knowing what you have to do with it after you get it, Prickett continued. Its like if you were buying a house and the house needed a new roof, new siding, and a couple of new bathrooms, youd probably approach the deal slightly differently.
See video below of last nights Great Barrington Selectboard meeting. Fast forward to 9:35 for the discussion of Housatonic Water Works:
Click here to read an overview of the report prepared by DPC, which had presented a preliminary report to the board in 2017. Prickett emphasized that he and Skelly are not appraisers. They would, however, offer their professional engineering opinion of the value of the system, what a capital plan might look like, and how it would impact customers and citizens of Great Barrington.
The first number Prickett tried to come up with is what it would cost today to build the same HWW system from scratch. He estimated that cost at $55 million. All but $8.6 million would have to go toward replacing water mains in the distribution system. Most of the mains 84%, according to a previous report date back to the late 1800s. Construction of HWWs water system started in 1888.
HWW serves 824 customers and a total population of roughly 1,400. The service area is the village of Housatonic and small adjacent portions of Stockbridge and West Stockbridge. The companys facilities include a reservoir, Long Pond, one water treatment plant, one finished storage tank, and 16 miles of old piping consisting primarily of uncoated cast iron.
The selectboard has come under great pressure to do something because HWW customers have long complained of brown water coming out of their taps and the Great Barrington Fire Department has said the companys fire hydrants have insufficient capacity for fighting a large fire in the village.
As a stand-alone utility, depreciation has pushed HWWs value today down to a mere $5.8 million. A previous estimate of needed capital improvements pegged the cost at $31 million, leaving HWW with a negative value of $25.2 million a figure Prickett called an ugly number.
As for imagining a path forward, Prickett presented two options: maintaining HWW as a stand-alone utility; or merging it with the Great Barrington Fire District, the quasi-public organization that provides public water to the bulk of the town.
If HWW were to raise its rates to pay for the needed infrastructure improvements, it would create an enormous imbalance in water rates between HWW customers and fire district customers in the rest of the town. By fiscal year 2042, for example, HWW customers would be paying $3,711, while fire district customers would be paying only $834. See bar graph below:
Combining the two districts would lower those long-term costs to HWW customers while increasing them for fire district customers to a point well above the states average water costs per customer.
North Plain Road resident Trevor Forbes said, given the options, HWW customers who could afford it might drill their own wells. Others who could not come up with the money for a well would be stuck with HWW.
I would imagine that customers would look to alternatives under that scenario, Prickett said.
If that happened, it would widen the inequity that currently exists between rich and poor, Forbes said, while further depressing the value of HWWs system through the attrition of customers.
The DPC presentation follows a report last month from AECOM, an infrastructure consulting group, that recommended improvements to the HWW system that would cost more than $30 million.
Prickett suggested the selectboard needed to consider management options, hold discussions with HWW, the fire district, the town Department of Public Works and the state Department of Environmental Protection. Then the town should seek public input and legal counsel, he added.
Board chair Steve Bannon told the 47 people attending via Zoom that discussion on the topic would continue at the boards Aug. 23 meeting.
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Engineer: Housatonic Water Works has 'negative value' of $25.2 million - theberkshireedge.com
Watch a 4600-Year-Old Boat Get Relocated in One Piece Thanks to Engineering – Interesting Engineering
King Khufu's Boat, the oldest and biggest wooden boat discovered in Egypt, has been relocated from its home near the Giza pyramids to the country's soon-to-be-opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) nearby, officials announced Saturday.
The 4,600-year-old vessel, also known as the Solar Boat, measures 137.8 ft (42-m) in length and weighs 20 tons. It was carefully moved in one piece inside a metal cage carried on a remote-controlled vehicle imported from Belgium just for the operation.
"The aim of the transportation project is to protect and preserve the biggest and oldest organic artifact made of wood in the history of humanity for the future generations," the tourism and antiquities ministry said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.
The vessel's 4.6-foot (7.5-km) journey to its new home began late on Friday and took 48 hours to complete. The ministry said it arrived at the GEM in the early hours of Saturday.
It is the world's oldest and largest wooden boat discovered in Egypt, but it wasn't built to sail the seas in contrast to what its name might suggest.
It belonged to Pharaoh King Khufu, a Fourth Dynasty monarch who ruled during the Old Kingdom period (26th century B.C.). In ancient Egypt, pharaohs commissioned solar boats, which were essentially ritual vessels, to transport them to the afterlife with the sun god Ra. To fulfill their purpose, they were buried in pitsnext to royal burial chambers.
King Khufu's Boat was constructed primarily of Lebanon cedar planking in the "shell-first" construction technique, with unpegged tenons of Christ's thorn serving as the primary structural elements. It was discovered in 1954 at the Great Pyramid's southern corner and had been on display for decades at a museum bearing its name at Giza Plateau.
Over 50 years later, the boat is now located at theGrand Egyptian Museum, which will open its doors later this year after a 17-year construction period. When it opens, it will have over 100,000 artifacts andwill be "the largest archaeological museum in the world."
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